Witboy in Berlin

When opportunity strikes, television producer Deon Maas joins the boatloads of migrants heading for Germany. Faced with the choice of taking all his possessions along or selling everything, he opts for the latter. With a duffel bag and his four dogs, he departs for the First World. Decadent Berlin blows his mind but also leaves him at a loss for words. As he criss-crosses the city, scratching at its pulsating underbelly, he marvels at German idiosyncrasies, and is roped into this new world by an array of vegan anarchists, eclectic musicians, football hooligans and graffiti artists. As he tries to settle in, he has to deal with everything from obnoxious bureaucrats to nosy neighbours. In the process, Maas debunks a few myths about the First World: it's not a perfect place where everything works, and German efficiency is definitely overrated. By confronting the loss of his support network and adapting to a different political and social context, he learns exactly how deep his African roots go and what it takes to find your place in Europe as a white African.

DEON MAAS was co-producer on the television series Jam Sandwich (SABC), Fortuinsoekers (kykNet), The Gulder Ultimate Search, a Nigerian reality TV programme, and Zim-Zim (DSTV). He is also the co-producer of two documentary films: Who Killed Johannes Kerkorrel and Punk in Afrika. Maas, formerly a resident of Johannesburg, built up a loyal following with his first two books, Witboy in Africa and Melk die Heilige Koeie. Presently, he is a dog walker in Berlin.